Super Bowl superstar Little Darth Vader needs a Topps trading card, Hasbro action figure

By Chris Olds | Editor | Commentary

The Super Bowl has come and gone, and there’s clearly been one star (who doesn’t wear green and yellow) getting a lot of attention — and he doesn’t even have a single piece of memorabilia for the masses.

He didn’t play on the field a couple of Sundays ago, but he’s still getting plenty of playing time — 29.3 million views and counting on the official Volkswagen YouTube page.

His name?

Little Darth Vader.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0[/youtube]

Don’t you think it’s time — he’s even got his own new outtakes video (1.4 million hits and counting) — that somebody, somewhere latch onto this phenomenon elsewhere in the Star Wars galaxy? That means you, Topps, the official Star Wars trading card licensee. This guy’s autographs? They can’t be Pujolsian-priced. That means you, Hasbro, filler of toy store aisles with all things intergalactic. Pint-sized action figures use half as much plastic!

I mean, after all, the little guy in the suit — who oddly looks like Mark Hamill (aka Luke Skywalker) — even appeared on the Today show where he confessed to have never seen the icon of all icons that he portrays on the screen … any screen. And even more ironic? Little 6-year-old Max Page — that’s his name — was born with heart issues and … wait for it … he has a pacemaker. There’s a bit of a human interest story here besides a simple marking campaign with some sci-fi support.

Maybe I’ve watched one too many DVDs in my day — or maybe a certain YouTube video a few too many times — but one has to think that such a beloved piece of viral marketing could be taken even further.

For now, though, you’ll have to settle on my quick Photoshop job above.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.